Defense and the Baseball Hall of Fame

Defense and the Hall of Fame

Jim Kaat was on the Keith Olbermann show recently, and Olbermann repeatedly made the claim that Kaat deserves to be in Cooperstown.  I agree, but for a rather unusual reason, and one that simultaneous takes umbrage at something Olbermann said about David Ortiz and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kaat pitching numbers are admittedly marginal Hall-worthy.  I’m not saying they’re NOT Hall-worthy; I’m saying they are right on the fence.  In his analysis of Kaat’s candidacy for Cooperstown, Bill James noted that Kaat had the bad luck of having his best years when a) there was only one Cy Young award for both leagues and b) Sandy Koufax was pitching.  Kaat won 282 games, the most of anyone from the 20^th century not in the Hall of Fame except for Tommy John (who should go in for having his name attached to elbow surgery).  On the other hand is lifetime WAR is 45.3, which rates 127^th all-time, just behind Steve Rogers and Brad Radke, who aren’t Hall-worthy by a long shot.

But what tips the scale in favor of his induction for me is this fact: he won 16 Gold Glove Awards.  I would say that no one with that many Gold Gloves is NOT in the Hall of Fame, but the only two people that would apply to are Greg Maddux (18) and Brooks Robinson (16).  If his lifetime stats were mediocre I wouldn’t say winning 16 Gold Gloves alone should gain you entry to Cooperstown, but with close to 300 wins it makes a difference in my book.

Which leads me to Olbermann’s second comment of note, his response to David Ortiz’s claim that Jim Palmer was trying to “get famous” by poking fun at Big Papi for getting ejected after arguing a check swing call.  Olbermann pointed out that Palmer was a first ballot Hall of Famer with a lifetime WAR of 68.1, and that Ortiz was destined to be a retired designated hitter who didn’t understand why he was never inducted into the Hall of Fame.

DHs have not fared well in Hall of Fame voting.  Paul Molitor made it in, but he played several positions before transitioning into the DH role late in his career.  Edgar Martinez, universally hailed during his career as one of the best hitters in baseball, has never broken 36.5% in Cooperstown balloting.  The criticism is that he didn’t contribute anything with his glove, therefore he doesn’t deserve enshrinement.

This argument is as illogical as keeping Ray Guy out of the Football hall of Fame because he was a punter.  Maybe he didn’t take as much punishment as other football players, but every net yard gained by punting was the same as a yard gained running or passing.  If punting doesn’t matter, why do all teams have a punter on their roster?  If DHs don’t contribute as much as “real” baseball players, why don’t pitchers bat in the American League?

Besides, is Harmon Killebrew in the Hall of Fame because of his glove?  Ted Williams?  Willie McCovey?  There are very few players in the Hall exclusively because of their fielding—Bill Mazerowski, Ozzie Smith, Tinker/Evers/Chance, and Brooks Robinson.  Sure, a lot of great hitters, like Willie Mays, also flashed the leather.  But I suspect more are in the Hall despite their fielding, not because of it (let me take this opportunity to point out that certain first-ballot Hall of famer Derek Jeter has been called the worst fielding shortstop of all-time based on advanced metrics).

I think Ortiz belongs in the Hall of Fame; his hitting stats are certainly in the ballpark, and his post-season performance is extraordinary (lifetime post-season numbers of .295/.409/.553; 2013 World Series stats are other-worldly at .688/.760/1.188).  So he only played 270 of 2,125 in the field; at least on the bench he wasn’t booting ground balls or making errant throws.

Jim Kaat should be in the Hall of Fame because of his fielding, and David Ortiz shouldn’t be kept out despite his lack of fielding ability.  You shouldn’t have to be a five-tool player for induction into Cooperstown, as long as you did very well with the tools you had.  Maybe the Veterans’ Committee will see the light with Kaat; we’ll have to wait until five years after his retirement to see what the Baseball writers think of Big Papi.